


Growing Up

by LastNameWasTaken



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-01-30 00:56:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12642861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LastNameWasTaken/pseuds/LastNameWasTaken
Summary: Prompt fills for Leeten month





	1. Never Losing Sight of Out Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, I wrote something that isn’t Homestuck for once!
> 
> I don’t really have much to say other than I watched Naruto for the first time out of boredom a few months back, and discovered it was actually good. Naturally I fell in love with minor characters, particularly Rock Lee and Tenten, so naturally the next step was shipping. And oh boy, a ship event almost after another beloved ship event? _And_ it’s during my birthday month? Sign me up!
> 
> And so with that, enjoy!

“Tenten?” Came a voice, knocking her out of stupor. Tenten hadn’t realized it, but she had been sitting on the bench for hours. The sun was already setting and the streets look deserted. And then there was her teammate, Rock Lee, looking at her with worried eyes.

“Are you alright?” He asked politely, “Do you need someone to take you home?”

Tenten blinked, flattered by the offer but not sure what to make of Lee. She had only known him for a few months, but the most she did know was that he was a failure in the academy. He trained every day, fought Neji about as often, and she had yet to see the fruits of his labor. While she found herself admiring Neji for his sheer skill, she couldn’t quite shake her perception of him as a smug jerk. Lee, on the other hand, was just plain _weird_ to her. 

“It’s nothing, Lee.” She answers. “I was just sitting out here.”

“I see, watching the sunset, correct?” He assumes. Tenten was about to open her mouth to correct him, but decided against it, “May I sit here with you?”

“… Sure.” She moves over, giving him more space. He sits next to her, watching the sunset over the tree line.

“It looks beautiful, doesn’t it?” he says, looking up at the orange and pink tinted sky with those big round eyes of his. Even from his initial appearance, Tenten thought he was weird. He had only recently cut his hair in a style like Guy’s, and somehow it made him look even weirder. 

But, in a way, kind of endearing.

“Is something wrong? You seem oddly quiet.” Lee comments again. Tenten jumps, not realizing how awkward she was making things. She really shouldn’t act like this; few months or no, he was still her teammate.

“I guess I’m a little upset,” Tenten admits with a frown, “The other day I tried using Medical Ninjustu, but that didn’t work out so well.”

“Because you wanted to be like Lady Tsunade, correct? You said so on our very first day.” 

“Right. But I just can’t learn it. I don’t know what it is, I think I just don’t have the charka for it. But if I don’t, then that means I can’t be anything like her. And I don’t know what to do.”

Her eyes sting and she feels something wet slide down her cheek, and realizes they’re tears. Embarrassed, she wipes her face and tries to turn away. “God, I’m even crying now.” She says, berating herself. 

“Y-you do not need medical ninjustu to be like Lady Tsunade!” Lee says, putting his hand on her back. No doubt he was unsure about how to handle a crying girl, and Tenten found herself unable to blame him. She absolutely _hated_ crying, especially from herself. “You can still be someone as great as her, even without medical skills.”

Composing herself, Tenten takes a deep breath, turning back to him. She rubs her pink cheeks, not sure if she was blushing from the embarrassment or her sadness. “I-I guess I could. But then who would I be?”

“You would be Tenten. You… you are great at weapon summoning!” He offers. “Besides, there are several Kunoichi who do not know medical ninjustu.”

“I know, but how can I ever be anything like her?”

“I believe you can.” 

Tenten paused, rubbing the tears away looking to Lee with misty eyes. “What?” She said flatly. His voice was quiet, but she found herself a little taken aback by the simple words. But she couldn’t really figure out why. Guy had always encouraged her, but something about hearing Lee say it felt more genuine. 

“I believe you can be the next Lady Tsunade!” He clarifies, now a little louder. “If you work hard and never give up, I believe you can become a great Ninja like Lady Tsunade!”

On the last few words, he snatched up her hand between the two of his, looking her in the eyes with a determined gaze. She looked at her hand between his and back up at him, not sure what he was doing. 

“Let us make a promise!” He says.

“W-What? You mean between the two of us?”

“Of course.”

“O-okay, but what for?” 

“To never lose sights of our dreams! Everyday, we will work toward our goals and never give up! Together!”

She nods, wordlessly, not sure what to say. After a minute of slient stares, Lee was the one to break the silence.

“Is… something wrong?”

“N-No! I just don’t know what to say.” She says, letting go of his hand and placing them both on the bench. It was nearly dark now, the orange pink in the sky starting to give ways to darker blues. “That was… nice of you, Lee. I always thought you were kind of weird, but I liked that. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome!” He exclaims with a smile and a thumbs up. She smiles back, then hops off the bench. Lee follows suit.

“It’s getting dark, you know.” She begins. “Do you… want to walk me home?”

“I do not mind. But I do not where you live.” He says sheepishly.

“Oh, that’s fine. I can lead you.” She says, talking his hand and leading him down the street.


	2. Secrect Admiration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! New Chapter! This turned out a LOT longer than I expected, and it’s a little slow. Still, I came to really like how this one turned out. :V
> 
> Wish I could get these out faster but College has been kicking my ass. Positive is I’ll be done with it in a few weeks, so at least that means I’ll have more time to write and deliver a triple decker sometime in December. I’ll try to finish the prompts for this fic by the end of the month, but anything can happen.
> 
> Also, it’s a personal headcanon of mine that Tenten and Hinata became friends during the Chunin exams, before Tenten got acquainted with the other rookie girls.
> 
> I should probably also add a disclaimer that Tenten’s views expressed in this chapter _do not_ reflect my own.
> 
> ~~The alt. title for this is Tenten gets salty and vents to Hinata.~~

There were a lot of emotions Tenten felt after the chunin exam. Anger, frustration, disappointment, sadness, but one of the more prevalent emotions was loathing. Mainly towards the Sand ninja Temari for beating her, with her stupid fan and her dumb four pigtails. Now she felt like she really understood the rivalries boys had; she didn’t think she could hate someone this much and devote herself to getting better than them out of spite. Someday she had to fight Temari again, she was sure of it.

Worst of all she missed her teammate’s fights. She didn’t know about Neji, but she was certian he’d be fine. At the same time, she both had faith in and worried for Lee. Maybe it was her loss at Temari’s hands, but she wasn’t sure if he could handle any of the other ninja. He had boasted that he fought Sasuke Uchiha and _would have_ won had he’d not been stopped, but the others? She just didn’t know. She was certian he could have won against the Sound Ninja in the Forest of Death, but he was busy protecting _Sakura_. She couldn’t help but feel a tinge of negativity towards the kunoichi, but the nature of the emotion was unknown. It couldn’t have been jealously, though, no way. 

She had healed enough by that point to walk around the infirmary. Usually she was just bored, but it was better than laying in a hospital bed. She learned from seperate doctors that she was allowed to go outside, but not very far. Well, no one told her directly, but she overheard people talking about it. To her that was enough reason to get out of the dull, suffocating halls. 

It was still sunny outside, which was nice. The area around the infirmary was decent looking, with trees and flowers planted around for the patrons. Occasionally she’d see a few doctors and some patients out walking around, but overall it was largely empty. Following the different paths through the courtyards and around the building, she found a path to a little pond. Almost no one was there of course, except for one person. A girl with a beige hooded jacket and a fluffy hem, and short, dark blue hair.

It took her a minute to recognize the girl as Hinata Hyuga, a girl from team 8. She didn’t know much about the girl, other than the fact that she was a relative of Neji’s. She didn’t really know much about the Hyuga clan, other than the fact that they were a noble family in the Leaf and Neji hated the main branch. She didn’t really know why, exactly. Still, Hinata didn’t _seem_ snobby or arrogant like Neji. While she didn’t meet her directly or talk to her, she always seemed withdrawn and shy, but polite and sweet. 

Tenten approached her from behind. Hinata was sitting down crossed legged with a bundle of flowers in her lap. She seemed to be fashioning them together, like a flower crown. She had to admire her craftsmanship for something so simple though. It was almost too neat and pretty for something so simple.

“You’re Hinata, Right?” Tenten says. Hinata looks around frantically, until she sees Tenten standing behind her with a smile. 

“Oh. H-hello.” She murmurs, looking down awkwardly. “Yes, I’m Hinata.”

“You’re Neji’s cousin, right?” She asks. At “Neji”, Hinata reacted as it as someone shocked her. Taking it as a yes, she decided to continue. “Well, I’m on the same team as Neji. I don’t think he ever mentioned you, weirdly enough. He complained about his family a lot, but I always thought that was weird. I mean, at least he _has_ one, you know?”

Hinata bit her lip, but nodded anyway. No doubt she really didn’t know how to respond. Shy people were just like that, Tenten guessed.

“Okay, I think I’m being rude.” She says. Tenten sits down next to her, crossing her legs. “My name is Tenten. I’m the one who lost to the wind girl, Temari, during the Chunin Exams. Do you remember me now?” 

“Oh, I remember you.” Hinata says. “N-not because of your loss, necessarily. B-but I do know you.”

“Well, that’s a good start.” She comments with a shrug. “So, is Neji always a jerk at home?”

“Huh?”

“Is Neji always unpleasant to be around? I mean, _sometimes_ I think he’s cool, but at the same time he acts like such a jerk! Is he always like that? Even around you?”

“Y-you must be mistaken.” Hinata says. “I don’t live with Neji. Or my family, for that matter.”

“Aren’t you supposed to live with your family?” She asks. 

“Y-yes. But I don’t. It-it’s for clan reasons. I live with my Sensei. She’s very nice to me, like a mother.”

Tenten frowned. She didn’t really know how to respond to that, for several reasons. For starters, she had no idea what “clan reasons” meant. She always thought of Clans as just really big families. Combined with Neji’s complaints and Hinata’s words, it seemed as though more went into clans than she previously thought. 

“… I-I should... also mention that I _did_ fight with Neji.” Hinata says meekly. “It was two fights after yours. As-as you can see, I didn’t win. I felt I should tell you now, b-because Neji is your teammate. I suppose you deserve to know.” 

“Geez, I’m sorry Hinata.” Tenten apologizes. “I know it feels really bad to lose, especially when you’re so far ahead. I just hope Neji was at least nice to you.”

Hinata didn’t answer, staring intently down at her crown. 

“ _Okay_.” Hinata blurted out after about two minutes of silence. “I-I feel I should be completely honest with you on Neji’s behalf. O-our fight was… rather harsh. While I made no attempts to give in, Neji did make an attempt on my life.”

“ _What!_ ” Tenten exclaimed. “That _jerk!_ As soon soon as I see him I’m gonna punch his light o—“

“ _No!_ ” Hinata says, grabbing her arm. “P-please don’t be angry with Neji, Tenten. He… he’s suffered as much as I have. It would be wrong to hurt him on my behalf.”

“That’s ridiculous! He tried to kill you! I don’t care if he was hurt, he shouldn’t treat you like that.”

“I know, b-but... I believe it’s wrong to hurt someone just because they hurt you. I-it’s not right, b-because at that point, w-where does it end?” Hinata looks down, blushing. “I cannot look at Neji and think of him as a bad person. I-I admit I don’t know him as well as you might, but I believe that; I truely do.”

Tenten sighs. “I suppose you’re right. I still think he’s a jerk though. He may be my teammate, but still.” Tenten crosses her arms. “I guess between this,losing to Temari, and worrying about Lee, this isn’t one of my best days.”

“Lee?” Hinata questioned. “Oh! That’s the boy with the green suit and bowl cut, correct?”

“Yes! Did you see him fight?” Tenten asked enthusiastically. 

“N-no. Neither of the fights I watched he was in. I’m afraid he fought sometime after I had left. I’m sorry.”

“That’s fine! He at least looked healthy, right? He got into a big fight during the Forest of Death, protecting that _Sakura_ girl.”

“Sakura…?”

“The pink haired girl who knocked out Ino _and_ herself.”

“O-oh, I already know who she is. She’s on the same team as Naruto.” Hinata says. “I-I suppose I was confused by why Lee would be protecting her.”

“He has a crush on her.” Tenten says with a frown. “Lee gets really passionate about stuff, just like our Sensei. And you know, even if it gets on my nerves, I really admire him for that.” She sighs. “But his crush on Sakura is one of the few times where it really gets on my nerves.”

“Why is that?”

“Because when Lee goes all in, _he goes all in_.” Tenten explains. “And it’s great to see him do that in a fight. He pours his heart and soul into it and you can _feel_ how passionate he is in fighting. It’s like his whole life! And when he wins, he’s face lights up and it’s the most beautiful thing you’ll ever see. But when he protected Sakura, he nearly lost, and that’s the _worst_ thing you’ll ever see. I _hate_ seeing that look of defeat on his face. Everytime he fights Neji, I have to see that look, and I _hate_ it. When Lee put his all in for Sakura, and he _lost_ ; I absolutely _hated_ her for putting him through that. Worst of all, I _knew_ Lee could have won if he wasn’t busy protecting her. She just held him down.”

“It… sounds like you really care for him.” Hinata says, holding her hand to her mouth. She looked analytical, as if she were analyzing Tenten’s behavior, but Tenten shrugged it off. “I don’t think you should be angry with Sakura. She didn’t ask Lee to protect her. I-if anything, it was all Lee’s decision.”

“I’m not really _angry_ with her. I just really don’t like her.” Tenten says with a huff, crossing her arms. “Lee promised to always protect her too. That’s the worst part for me.”

“You… sound a bit jealous.” Hinata comments in an innocuous tone. 

“Jealous? What would I be jealous about? I’m just annoyed at and don’t like Sakura all that much.” Tenten says defensively.

“W-well, w-what I mean is... you seem protective of Lee, a-and you care about him a lot.” Hinata says, choosing her words carefully. “S-so when he nearly hurts himself trying to protect someone, especially in a fight you believe he could have won, y-your first instinct is to blame Sakura.”

Tenten went quiet. “Are you… psychoanalyzing me? I didn’t take you as the type.” She jokes. But really, Tenten found herself appreciating the input. Even if she didn’t fully agree with it.

“I’m… I’m really not.” She says, half jokingly. “I-I tend to think about people and why they act the way they do. I suppose it comes from being quiet all the time. I’m a bit of an observer.”

“Still,” Tenten continues, looking at her feet. “I really do care about Lee, even if I feel like he doesn’t notice. I don’t know if I’m _as_ important to him as Sakura, but sometimes I don’t care about that and I just want him to be okay. He’s helped me a lot, you know?”

“I think he does care about you; more than you think.” Hinata says, “He nearly got disqualified fighting Temari.”

Tenten looked up, blinking. “What?”

“When Temari defeated you, she threw your body across the room. I thought you would have landed on your weapons and gotten injured, but Lee caught you. He berated Temari for treating you like that, and he would have fought her had your Sensei not called him off.” 

Tenten couldn’t help but blush, and she couldn’t figure out why. Maybe she bashful about the idea of Lee defending her in front of a crowd like that, or maybe she was just a little embarrassed about the idea of Lee holding her in his arms. 

“That’s… nice to know.” She commented. “I guess I should thank Lee sometime.”

“I believe he deserves it.” Hinata says. “I don’t know much about him, but he seemed like a good person. I’d like to meet him, one day.” 

“I think he’ll visit me soon, along with my other teammates.” Tenten says. “Once the preliminaries are over, at least. I just hope he turns out okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can kind of tell where I got my love for long-winded conversations from.
> 
> and dark, somewhat humorous foreshadowing.


	3. Stronger Than Yestarday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I͏̷̨̤̥̳̺̩̹̙̳ ̯͚͚̺̠̘̲̻͈͎͕̣̫͚̩̗̖͞R̢҉̭̞̥̗̩̙͕É̤̹̪̹̲̬̞̭̖̲̝̺̫͉͘Ț̵̷̶̠̜͔̫̪̘͔͉͕͢U̷̡̗̗͖̫͓̗͖̣͚Ŕ̹͙͚̰̕͠͠N͡͏̶̩̮̣̥̹͉̲̤͍̹̹͚̰͈̗̫̭̪̩͘
> 
>    
> And just in time for Valentines’ day!  
> Okay, honestly? I wish I had more of an excuse for why these took so long. To be honest, it was a mixture of no motivation, writer’s block, and the Anxiety™️. I wanted to deliver the new chapters in one day so... here I am! 
> 
> I refused to make this a dead/uncompleted fic, hence the three chapter delivery. At least then I wouldn’t have to bum out some poor soul in the future who happens upon it only to discover I didn’t finish. So, enjoy!

She was officially out of the hospital a little after Lee had arrived, which she personally hated. If it were up to her, she would have intentionally injured herself just to be there longer. Almost any reason not to go back to her empty house. 

Maybe it was a sign of her getting soft, but she couldn’t really bring herself to do much else while Lee wasn’t in the hospital. She knew she should train, if not for Lee or Neji then _at least_ for herself. 

Guy had told her before she left. Lee’s fight with Gaara ended in a crippling loss for Lee, and there was a very real chance he would never be a ninja after this. Her heart ached for him, and she only felt more hatred for the Sand Ninja, and now directed it towards Gaara. She remembered the redhead was on the same team as Temari, and now she felt as through she had a personal vendetta against the Sand. First Temari for humiliating her in front of her team, and now Gaara for ruining her friend’s life. 

It had been about two weeks since she had been dispatched, and she decided it would be best for her to visit him now. But it seeme odd to show up empty handed. Maybe she should bring food? But no, what if she brought something that would be bad for his health? A weapon? No, that wouldn’t be very appropriate. Some flowers? That could work. 

She had only bought one light red carnation for simplicity’s sake. Ino had told her it meant admiration, and she felt it was necessary after what he did for her in the Chunin exams. Though Ino had tried to sell her a white carnation as a sign of good luck. Maybe white would have been better, but a flower expressing admiration seemed more appropriate. 

Making her way to his door, Tenten stood in front of it, composing herself. She felt guilty about not visiting him after all this time. Neji had told her she a bad habit of holding grudges, and while she knew it wasn’t the case for Lee, something in the back of her head told her he would be angry with her. 

She knocks on the door, slowly opening it. 

To find Lee, on the ground, doing push ups. 

“ _What the hell are you doing Lee?_ ” Tenten exclaims, immediately going into panic mode and dropping the Carnation on the ground. Lee seemed to be just as surprised as her, as he immediately lost his focus and fell chest first to ground. While he didn’t seem to be wearing any casts, she still felt a jolt of worry that he could have hurt him. Tenten scrambles to help him up, worried about hurting his arm or leg. She helps him into bed, and with a frustrated sigh, and she puts her hands on her hips. 

“You’re in the hospital Lee! Since when should you have time to train?” 

“I have _all_ the time.” He says, as it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

“No, you have time to rest.” Tenten scolds. The room was plain and rather uninteresting. It amost looked the same as hers did, though she noticed the setup in this room was different. There was a table in the corner with a worn out chair, a pitcher of water and two glasses sat ontop. Next to Lee was a night stand, or what she assumed was some sort of nurse equipment nightstand. A stray thought told her she probably would have known the contents of the drawers if she had succeeded in Medicine. She walks over to the table with the water, pouring a glass. 

“It is hardly rest.” Lee complains. “I understand the intent, but I cannot lay in bed for weeks on end.” 

“Well, you’ll have to. It’s what I had to do, so you’ll have to do the same thing.” She presents him with a glass of water. “Now drink this.” 

He frowns and reluctantly takes the water, drinking it. Tenten sighs again, moving to the doorway where she had dropped the flower. 

“Is that for me?” Lee asks, setting the glass on his nightstand, 

“… Yeah.” She admits, now feeling guilty about giving him a present after she just scolded him. She presents him with the carnation, and he takes it in his hands, looking it over. “I didn’t think I should visit you empty handed. My other gift ideas weren’t so great. It’s supposed to mean admiration.” 

“That’s wonderful Tenten! I happen to have a vase by the window.” He says with a grin. “Did you happen to bring me the daffodil too?” 

“Huh?” 

Lee points to the window behind him, where a slightly wilted daffodil sat in the nearly empty vase. “I found it here one day after I trained. I do not know who gave it to me. I assumed if you had then maybe you asked one of the nurses to bring it, since they did not allow visitors at the time.” 

Tenten looked at the flower quizzically. She never recieved flowers in the hospital, so it couldn’t have been the staff, but something about the presence of the daffodil made her a little jealous. 

_What? No, Tenten, don’t be jealous of some flower!_ She thought to herself, shaking her head. _Besides, be happy someone else took up your slack when you were off moping_

“No, this is the first time I visited you.” She said, taking the flower back and walking over to the vase, “I’m sorry about that, by the way.” 

“For what?” 

“Not visiting you.” She clarifies, placing the Carnation inside with the daffodil, pouring water in from the pitcher. Awkwardly, she continued “And um… missing your fight.” 

“Well, that was not your fault.” Lee says. 

“Sure, I guess.” She sits down next to Lee. “Is it... hard for you to train? Just generally? I don’t mean with the injuries. I mean, if you had still lost but were perfectly fine, would it still be hard for you to go through with it?” 

”No, I do not think I would.” He answers. 

“Okay, maybe that’s not a great comparision. I mean, is it hard for you to keep going even when you’re given proof that your best isn’t good enough?” 

“In some ways.” He admits. “But, I think that is what keeps me going, because I want my best to be good enough.” 

Tenten stands up, 

Curiously, Lee tilts his head, trying to see Tenten’s face. 

”Is there something else wrong?” He asks curiously. Tenten bites her lip, thinking over the news Guy had given her. There was a good chance Lee couldn’t be a ninja after this. Hearing Lee talk about how his best would eventually be good enough reminded her of the news. In the back of her mind she knew this wouldn’t technically affect her as a ninja, but as Lee’s friend, she knew it was going to hurt. Hurt because she couldn’t do anything to make it better for him. Maybe it was the memory of them sitting on a bench during sunset, when she was depressed over a lack of skill and he helped her believe she could get better. 

She felt like she had to pay him back somehow, seeing him in a state like this. Sure, he was training, but Lee didn’t know what else to do. He most certianly wasn’t like her. Tenten wasn’t the type to cry (or she tried not to) but she tried to occupy her time by thinking or planning or doing some sort of meandering chore. Usually the last toughts on her mind would be to train. 

“Listen Lee... I know I can be a little mean sometimes,” she begins “and I know a lot of the time I’m annoyed by you, but the truth is, I do think you’re pretty cool. I mean, I think you go overboard a lot, but I don’t respect you less for it. And even... even if things don’t go your way, I just want you to know I always thought you were an excellent shinobi.“ 

She hugs him, rather suddenly, but Lee responds, hugging her back. Tenten soon left, and when she neared the exit of the hospital she felt a wave of embarrassment over her behavior. Was she too clingy? She didn’t want to seem too dependent on Lee, especially now. The worry followed her all the way home, until she comforted herself with the knowledge that Lee was an open and understanding person. Then again, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to be a little open now and again. 

The carnation stayed on the windowsill. Lee found himself staring at the flower for a long time, feeling her presence even after she had left. He closes his eyes, falling asleep and content in knowing Tenten was there for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m startin to feel like my interpretation of these prompts is a little _too_ loose.


	4. I Won’t Let That Happen Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was the main reason for the long pause tbh. I kept wanting to make it as close to canon as possible, kept worrying that I was missing something and get called out, and was even worried the entire plot was contrived! (And I’m sure some people are gonna tell me it is... and frankly, I wouldn’t disagree with ya.). I also just kind of struggled in general with this chapter, and I'm sure you're gonna tell at which parts...
> 
> But then I decided, fuck it. I thought it would be an interesting story to tell, and maybe two years later I’ll come back and edit it! But for now, enjoy.
> 
> (Warning for Violence)

“ _Tenten. Tenten. Tenten._ ” 

Someone was lightly tapping her face, her right cheek to be precise. For a moment, Tenten was confused. She didn’t remember falling asleep, but something about this slumber seemed unnatural. She was at the Chunin exams, wasn’t she? She watched Neji’s fight, noticed Lee and Guy had unfortunately ran late, and ran to meet them. But what happened in the interim? 

She forced herself to open her eyes. Her body was heavy and her muscles sore, and she felt like she’s had been unfairly woken during a deep sleep. Everything was too bright, to where she closed her eyes and almost felt herself go limp again. 

“No! No, no no! Tenten, stay awake.” 

Someone was shaking her. Regretfully, she opened her eyes all the way to see the face of her Sensei looking down at her with a serious expression. He relaxed upon seeing her fully awake now, sitting her up. 

“Are you alright, Tenten?” He asks, his hand on her back, helping her sit up. 

Wordlessly, she nods yes. Truth be told, she was a little off-put by how serious Guy sounded. Actually, the more accurate term was ‘Tense’ since his seriousness almost always showed itself at a time of danger. Usually she would be happy, but the conditioning caused her to worry. 

“I’m fine.” Tenten answers, rubbing his arm. “I’m mostly just sore. I think I fell, but nothing feels broken. Just a few bruises.” 

“You can stand just fine?” Guy continues. 

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure. It’ll hurt, nut I think I can manage.” 

To prove this, she stood up, pushing her weight against the step above her. Her muscles, as she predicted, strained under her own weight, but she could stand. She looks around, noticing first how the arena was dead quiet, then how everyone was slumped over. She could see Lee and Neji about three steps above them. Lee was sitting down on the steps with his crutch leaning against him. At first he looked downtrodden, but he lit up and smiled at her when she locked eyes with him. Neji, on the other hand, was standing on the step above him with his arms crossed. The first thing she noticed about Neji was the bandage under his chin. Looking back on how everyone was slumped over, she wondered what happened. At first, her mind wondered if everyone was dead, and a brief jolt of fear shot through her. But she knew that couldn’t have been right, as whatever could have killed them should have killed them too. It had to be a mass genjustu. But raised two bigger questions: who cast it, and why? 

“What happened? Who did this?” She asks. 

“The sand and the Sound.” Neji answers, almost immediately. “They used the Chunin exams as a distraction.” 

“You’re saying the Leaf is under attack right now?” Tenten asks in disbelief, her question sounding more like a concrete statement. 

“Exactly right, Tenten! You’re as sharp as ever.” Guy says, flashing her a smile. She would have gotten upset with him, but she just couldn’t find the energy now. Something about his tone made it obvious to her that he was saying this to comfort her. She couldn’t say this was a bad sentiment, since the idea of an invasion going on just outside the arena admittedly scared her beyond belief. 

“I woke you three up because I didn’t want you staying here, especially Lee.” Guy explains. “I don’t think if this would be the safest place for any of you.” 

“But Guy-Sensei, what about everyone else here?” Lee asks. 

“I wouldn’t worry too much about them. They’re safe, for now, but more ninja will be coming.” 

“So what is it you need us for?” 

“I want you three to make it to one of the shelters.” He explains. “None of you are in any condition to fight. 

“But Guy-Sensei!” Tenten exclaims. “Why can’t you come with us? We don’t know who we could meet or even if a shelter is destroyed.” 

“There are other things I have to do.” He explains. “I absolutely would take you three, But I’m afraid others need me right now. I can’t risk you three possibly getting hurt.” 

Tenten bites the inside of her cheek and looks down, thinking it over. She had some nightmares about Konoha being reduced to rubble or destroyed. She never knew where the fear came from, but she remembered having the nightmare since she was a baby. It was a harrowing idea, but she had to put it aside, as difficult as it was. Looking up, she sees Lee is tense himself, biting his lip and staring ahead. Neji’s eyes as closed, but his posture isn’t smug, instead looking more reserved. 

“I have faith in you three.” Guy says. “Neji, you’ll be the honorary Jonin for your mission. Lead Tenten and Lee, and make sure they both stay safe.” 

“Yes sir.” — — 

About a minute or so later they were down by the entrance of the arena, looking out over Konoha. She expected the damage to be worse, but with a sigh she was glad to see most buildings looked undisturbed. Most of the taller buildings had fallen, but the smaller ones were more or less lucky if they were out of the line. Despite this, wood and stone strewn about on the streets, no doubt from the fallen and crushed buildings. 

Neji stood in front, Lee in the Middle, and Tenten last, Neji, obviously, was looking out over the rubble using his Bykyugan, scanning for any signs of life. Lee was sitting against the wall of the entrance, his crutch next to him. 

“It’s clear up ahead.” Neji says. “I think if we move fast we should fine, but I know it’s an issue for Lee in his state. We should stop every so often, both to let Lee rest and for I to make sure the way is clear.” 

Neji reaches behind him, untying his headband. Confused, Tenten asked what he’s was doing, 

“I’m taking it off so we’ll look more like civilians.” He explains. He turns his head so they couldn’t see his caged bird seal, tucking his headband away in his pouch and taking out a bandage, wrapping it around his forehead. “You two aren’t wearing headbands, so there’s a good chance people will just leave us be if they think we’re just civilians. It’s likely our attackers will focus on other ninjas.” 

“That’s actually a good idea.” Tenten says. “Still, in case of ambushes, it’s a good thing I never leave home without a Kunai. You don’t happen to have any shuriken on you, do you Neji?” 

“No, I’m afraid I used them all in my fight. You’ll have to make do.” He says. “I’ll lead the way. Lee, try to stay behind me, Tenten, stay behind or next to Lee to help him.” 

Neji walks ahead, clearly signaling for Lee and Tenten to follow him. 

Tenten helps Lee up, his arm over his shoulder. “Is it just me, or does Neji seem… nicer?” She whispers, looking at Neji’s back. He looks at her at the mention of his name, but turns back to look ahead. Something about the way he talked was more respectful than normal, especially in regards to Lee. She could only assume it was because he felt bad for Lee. 

“He has always been polite. I do not see any significant difference.” Lee whispers back. 

“I know. But usually he’s a lot more… y’know. Passive-aggressive.” 

“Are you two done gossiping or can we get going?” Neji snaps, looking behind 

“Ah. See, that’s what I meant.” — 

Walking through the destroyed village turned out to be more of a task than Tenten expected. Of course she knew it wasn’t going to be easy. But she had subconsciously taken the scene outside of the arena as representative of all of the village. Right before them, rubble had covered the street, leaving no way to get through. Of course, climbing it would have been easy. But not with someone on crutches. 

“Can you see another way?” Lee asks. 

“Not yet.” Neji says. “I’ll tell you when I’ve found something.” 

He walks a little further away from them, scanning the area. Lee sits a large piece of rubble, his crutch leaning against him. Next to them was a large wooden building with a partially collapsed roof, but it didn’t seem could fall unless it had outside help. She tapped Lee on the shoulder, telling him she was going to look around for any stray weapons, and to call for her when Neji came back. 

Crawling into the house, she quickly noticed it was a restaurant. Probably family-owned, since there was a stairway leading down into a living space. The bottom floor was mostly barren and covered in broken glass. In the backroom she found a bag, then later some bottled water and food in the kitchen and decided it would be best to take all three. Downstairs was a hallway with three rooms, two of them with beds inside of them and one with a desk. She goes into the desk room first; opening up the drawer to see a book titled “White Bliss” with a large circle-backslash on the cover; and decided not too look any further. 

She moves to the other room, this one with a small bed, and a nightstand next to it. While finding nothing of interest in the nightstand, she peeked under the bed, seeing a large wooden box. She pulls it out, opening it to see a Sai, a collection of five shuriken, Nunchucks, and two Tonfa. It was an odd assortment, and while she wanted to take them all, she knew she couldn’t hold them all. She only took the shuriken, closing the box and making her way back upstairs. 

She could hear someone shouting, but it was faint. As reached the top of the stairs, she felt the building rumble, and panic hit her as she saw the ceiling begin to crack. She rushed upstairs, dust and debris beginning to fall. Panicked, she slid and ducked under a table, the ceiling collapsing with a loud crash. Luckily, her table withstood the weight, but the debris surrounded her, and the only hole big enough for her to fit though she couldn’t reach. 

“Tenten!” Lee shouts, his voice slightly muffled. 

“I’m okay!” She yells back, her voice echoing back to her. “Neji, can you see me?” 

“What are you _doing_ in there?” Neji answers back, clearly angry, but she couldn’t blame him for it. “You’re not hurt, are you?” 

“No, just some scrapes.” She said. She looks at her arms, seeing the familiar burn marks from from sliding in. “What _was_ that?” 

“It was a giant Snake.” Lee said. “It was slithering around a street over. It hit your building, and the roof just caved in.” 

“It hit most of the buildings around there.” Neji says. “At least now, we have another way through. But first, we need to get you out.” 

One of them walked closer to her, and soon after, Lee’s crutch poked through the hole. She grabbed the handle, lifting herself up as as she was pulled out of the rubble, her hips catching the edges; yet she was pulled through. She collapsed on the ground, her heart pounding as the full weight of her experience hit her. _She was almost crushed, she was almost dead, she was almost buried alive._ With a shudder and a gulp, she sat up. 

“How did that thing miss us?” Tenten asks. “I thought snakes were supposed to have a keen sense of smell?” 

“I don’t know. Maybe luck is on our side today.” Neji says. You can walk, right?” 

“Yeah. My legs just feel like jelly.” She says, standing up and using the rubble next to her to steady herself. “Let’s get going. Lead the way, Neji.” 

Neji nods, walking out from the building and to it’s new alleyway. Lee places his arm around her back, helping her follow Neji. 

“Lee, I should be helping _you_ walk.” She says. “You need to save your strength. Especially for your leg.” 

“I _refuse_ to allow my teammates to suffer.” He says.”Even if it means I have to take on their suffering while I am suffering.” 

“You dork.” She murmurs with a small laugh. “I can walk fine now. My legs are a little better.” 

It was somewhat true. Her legs still tingled but she felt she could control it, and it wasn’t like it couldn’t disappear anytime soon. Lee removes his hand from her back, grabs her hand, holding it tightly as he walks forward. He looks back at her with a worried but caring expression. Tenten could only nod and give him a small smile, which he returned. She felt embarrassed by the hand holding, but she’d be lying if she said it _didn’t_ provide comfort. — 

They had walked through the alleyway and onto the next street, this one surprisingly barren. She guessed it had to do with the snake. Up ahead she could see the bridge over the canal. As they ran closer, Neji spoke. 

“It’s just over the bridge.” He said. “I can see the guards a little ways over. We just—” 

He stops abruptly, and Lee almost crashes into him. He holds his arm out, looking ahead. 

“What’s wrong?” Lee whispers. 

“There’s a sand Ninja up ahead.” Neji whispers. He could see the Sand ninja had sandy brown hair and dark eyes, but he was just standing there as if he had nothing better to do. 

“Just one?” Asks Tenten. “Then we could probably sneak past him.” 

“That could work. But I’m more concerned about _why_ he’s there.” 

“You do not suppose he’s waiting for people like us, do?” Lee asks. 

“I don’t know. But it just seems suspicious that he’s standing alone, doing nothing.” 

Tenten suddenly felt a presence, like someone was watching her. She looked behind herself, but saw no one. She squeezes Lee’s hand nervously, biting her lip. 

“Maybe we should find another way around.” Neji begins, when Tenten feels an arm wrap around her. She screams, her hand being ripped from Lee’s grasp. Both Neji and Lee turn to see Tenten hoisted up by another sand ninja, this one clearly different from the other. His hair was gray and there was a long, red scar running from the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth, sideways. His sharp eyes were a dull green, and his mouth was twisted into a cruel grin. He held a Kunai to Tenten’s throat. 

“Shota! I found three of these little leaf bastards!” He shouts. “One of ‘ems even got a limp!” 

“Let go of her!” Lee yells, nearly charging the man, but Neji grabs his arm, holding him back. The other Leaf Ninja, supposedly Shota, walked over to them, his expression excited at first, but he frowned upon seeing them. 

“Daichi, these are just kids.” He says. “They’re probably scared and trying to get to safety.” 

“As if I care.” The man says. “These leaf village scum killed my sister, back when we were just kids. And did they care? No.” He presses the Kunai closer to Tenten’s neck. “I think it’s time for some payback.” 

“These kids weren’t even born yet, don’t tell me you’re really—” 

“We just want to get to safety!” Neji says, “Please Mister, my friends and I are just trying to get to shelter. We aren’t Ninjas.” 

“Nice try. I was in the stadium. I saw you fighting, Hyuga.” Daichi says. “But if you’re really going to shelter, then that means other Leaf villagers will be there too. So I have a deal for you. You take me there, and I won’t kill this little girl.” 

“Daichi, civilians aren’t our target!” Shota argues. 

“I don’t care. I want the people here to _**bleed.**_.” Daichi growls. Tenten looks down at Lee and Neji. Lee looked the most forlorn, though he wasn’t breaking under the situation as Tenten expected. He didn’t allow himself to crumble, but she could tell he was scared. Neji, as always, tried to keep face, but he was clearly disturbed by the whole event. The man, Shota, had moved to the side of the group, and right now Tenten liked him the most. He was arguing with Daichi, keeping the man’s attention on him. She knew as long as Daichi had his arm around her and kunai to her throat, her team was trapped. If only she could— 

Wait, that’s right. 

She looked down at Lee, and the two of them locked eyes. Slowly, she moves her left arm to her bag, reaching and grabbing her kunai. His eyes widened, but said nothing. He nods, elbowing Neji to grab his attention. Neji, realizing what Tenten was doing, nods as well; standing back. 

Tenten quickly plunges the Kunai into Daichi’s wrist, pulling it towards her. Daichi howls, dropping her and his Kunai. She lands on her feet, stabbing her kunai into his shin. Blood drips from Daichi’s arm in a steady but slow flow, one of the drops hitting her under the eye and cheek. Lee, knowing he was in no condition for any fighting, decided to instead swing his crutch at the leg of Shota, causing the man to howl in pain, backing away from them. Once again reaching into her bag, she fishes out the Shuriken, throwing two of them at the man. One skimmed past his face, barely cutting his skin, while the other hit his shoulder. 

He collapsed, cursing as he clutched his bloodied shoulder. In the confusion, Daichi tried to grab Tenten by the scruff of her neck, but Neji was quick to act. He grabs Tenten by the arm and yanks her away, throwing her towards Lee. He thrusts his palm forward sending a wave of charka into Daichi’s face, pushing him back. Tenten grabbed Lee's arm and wrapped it over her shoulder's taking Lee's weight onto her. Neji follows her, quickly taking the lead in front. The three of them crossed the bridge, and Tenten looks back to see that Shota had taken the shuriken out, but wasn’t perusing them. As Neji lead them into the alleyways in hopes of losing anyone following them, she sees him collapse, and she looks ahead with a shudder. — 

They arrived at the shelter not long after. Tenten almost collapsed upon seeing the two ninjas guiding people inside the tunnel. It was supposed to lead under the mountain, or so she heard. She knew it was just a little farther from there, so she and Neji had decided to let Lee walk on his own from there. Most of the other people at the shelter were academy students, with few adults around, not counting the ninja looking after everyone. Neji had gone off to stretch his legs and Lee was currently being examined by a few medical ninja, leaving her to sit alone away from everyone else. 

It was only after they had finally arrived at the shelter when Tenten noticed she was still holding the blood-covered kunai, which had now dried and was flaking off. It was in such a tight grip, like it was apart of her hand. She found herself staring at it for a while, thinking back on the situation with a shudder. It certainly wasn’t one she was used to. Most missions were either errands or a few guard jobs. Usually the other ninjas she had to fight, if any, weren’t interested in using people as a hostage or threat. But back then, she didn’t really give it much thought. But something about what happened seemed different. She felt guilty for what she did to the other Sand ninja, the one that didn’t want to hurt them. She was certain a shuriken to the shoulder wouldn’t have been fatal, unless there were important arteries there she didn’t know about. 

She heard the sound of a crutch hitting the ground, and looked up to see Lee sitting down next to her, his crutch at his side. 

"Are you okay?" she asks, setting her kunai down next to her. "You didn't hurt anything did you?" 

"No." he answers. "I am fine as I could be, like this." he gestures to himself, clearly pointing out his leg. 

"That's still good news." she says, trying to be optimistic. 

"Tenten, I am sorry for what happened. I know it must not be easy for you." 

She paused. "You mean what happened with the Sand Ninja, right?" she asks, mostly because she didn't know what else to say. 

He nods. "Yes. I think that, as your teammate, I should have been looking out for you." 

She would have laughed under different circumstances, but there was really no word for the sound of disbelief she responded with. 

"Lee, I was looking out for you. It was my fault to begin with." 

"I _know_ but I—" his voice cracks, and Tenten realizes his eyes are watering, "I don't know what I would do if I had lost you!" 

Almost immediately, he breaks into tears, crying into his hands. Tenten tries to calm him down, holding his shoulders in place. 

"Lee! It's okay!" she says. "It's really not your fault. I shouldn't have—" she was cut off by Lee catching her in a bear hug, holding her tight. She figured she should have expect this, as Lee was always the type to get emotional and affectionate. Even though she wasn't used to it, she still found herself enjoying the embrace; oddly enough. Well, maybe enjoy wasn't the right word. It was more comfortable. He let go of her, his eyes still teary. 

"Tenten, I am _never_ She opened her mouth to protest, knowing full well the issues he was facing, but decided it wouldn't be best to bring it up. It didn't seem right to cut him down, but at the same time, she still held onto the hope that he'd recover and look out for her. she didn't really know what to say, so she just smiled. 

"It's good to hear you two are fine." Neji says, scaring them both. He was standing next to Tenten, his arms crossed. 

"When did you get here?!" Tenten asks, now even more embarrassed. Neji just picks up the kunai at her side, sitting down next to her. She and Lee move over, giving him space. 

"I only just arrived." he said, handing her the Kunai. "You shouldn't be leaving this laying around." 

Tenten frowned and takes it back. Lee sniffs, rubbing his eyes. "I can tell you two were having a moment." Neji says, looking at her side-eyed. "I didn't want to ruin that." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You could annotate my stories with "author doesn't know how to end her chapters". Why are endings so difficult and awkward. I WANT TO BE BETTER.  
> Well, it took a while, but I'm (mostly) done!  
> I really, REALLY wish it didn't take this long. But writer's block, y'know :/  
> There is actually another prompt I decided to cut, mostly because it wasn't coming along very well. I mean, I had an idea, (and many ideas would have made sense had I included it, I'm sure) but the development process was hell. Maybe one day I'll add it when I come across some inspiration, but for now, this fic ends here :V

**Author's Note:**

> ~~Still really bad at endings…~~
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> Really hope I didn’t make this too cheesy, but then again I don’t think that would really be out of character for either of them ;o


End file.
